


Dropping In for a Spell

by DesertVixen



Category: Dungeons and Dragons (Cartoon)
Genre: Gen, Return to the Realm
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-20
Updated: 2014-12-20
Packaged: 2018-03-02 10:43:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2809454
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DesertVixen/pseuds/DesertVixen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eric and Presto pay a visit to the Realm to help a friend</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dropping In for a Spell

**Author's Note:**

  * For [astolat](https://archiveofourown.org/users/astolat/gifts).



He couldn’t believe they were doing this.

After four years, Eric had almost convinced himself that their time in the Realm had just been some sort of intense daydream. It had been the only way to deal with the fact that they had lived – barely – through an incredible adventure, but they were the only ones who even knew they had been gone. To the rest of the world, they had simply been stuck in a malfunctioning ride for two hours. 

The ride had been closed to the public shortly after. It had reopened the next summer, and Eric had forced himself to ride it. 

Nothing had happened. Every now and then, he had seen a familiar figure in the new ride’s scenery, but the ride had simply ended. 

Eric had left, not sure if he was happy that nothing had happened – or disappointed.

*** ***

Now Eric stood in line for the ride with Presto. It was the same date as four years ago, when they had been stuck in the Realm. Presto seemed to think that this fact would make a difference. Eric had felt a little stupid for not realizing that he wasn’t the only one who had flirted with returning to the Realm.

Of course, this time they weren’t just flirting with going back.

They were determined to go back. 

Presto had been dreaming about Varla, the young illusionist they had saved from Venger. In the dreams, she pleaded with Presto to return to the Realm. Initially, Presto had just wanted to make sure that someone knew where he was going, in case he did not return, but Eric hadn't been willing to let Presto go back by himself. 

If he was honest, he wanted to go back, just a little.

They sat in the car, waiting. Eric was scanning the people around the ride, wondering if maybe they should have had an extra slice or two of pizza before they got on this thing. 

Just in case.

Then he saw Sheila in the line as well. It was hard to miss her red hair. What is she doing here, Eric wondered? Why today?

Before he could act, the attendant came to tighten down the seat belt, and they were off.

*** ***

One moment they were sitting on the ride, and in the next they were falling again, down through the sky. 

When they landed, Eric was unsurprised to find himself back in his cavalier outfit, his shield comfortingly heavy on his arm. Presto’s outfit had changed, he noted – the long robe had been replaced by a green doublet over a brown tunic and pants.

“Greetings, Young Ones. We have missed you here in the Realm.” Dungeon Master stood there, as undisturbed as ever.

“Well, we thought we’d just drop in and check on you,” Eric said lightly.

“Presto!” The two of them turned to see Varla, wearing a simple dark green dress, her long red hair braided and twisted around her head. “You came!”

Presto took a step towards her, and then Varla was running towards him. Eric watched Presto catch her, then looked away. Varla had definitely grown up some since the last time they’d seen her, and Presto had liked her then.

After a long moment, the two of them began walking towards a nearby cluster of tents.

Eric was turning to follow them when he noticed that Dungeon Master had not vanished, but was waiting patiently. So Eric waited with him.

Sheila came tumbling out of the sky, just as they had. Eric was pleased to notice that she wore her Realm gear as well.

“I was trying to catch up with you before you got on the ride,” Sheila said. “Looks like I caught up with you all right.”

*** ***

It had taken Eric a few minutes to realize exactly where in the Realm they were. The barren landscape was notable chiefly for its fallen bridge, and the pile of rubble on top of a rock pillar.  
It was the site of the Hall of Bones, one of the places where they had fought Venger and survived, if not won. The place had been a burial place of heroes and heroines throughout the Realm, and Venger had destroyed it. 

Now, they were welcomed by the few people left in the area. Varla had become a pupil of Dungeon Master, traveling with him throughout the Realm and learning how to better harness her magic. Her strength was illusions, illusions so real that you might not ever know that they were not real. It was not until after dark, when they had eaten dinner that Dungeon Master got to the point. 

“You may have guessed that there were other groups who tried to carry out the mission of redeeming Venger.” Dungeon Master sat near the fire, with the young people clustered around him. “I am afraid to say that they faced a harsh punishment for failure.”

“They were trapped here, weren’t they?” Eric asked quietly. Even though he had found himself at least wanting to visit the Realm, he could easily understand the despair at being trapped here. They had all experienced it. 

“Some of them. Others of them paid a more permanent price.”

They were all quiet for a moment.

“The cause of this trouble is known as Carolus. The rest of his group was killed in the Dragon’s Graveyard by Tiamat.”

Eric swallowed. He bet he could guess what that group had tried to do. They had almost been driven to it as well, but in the end, Hank had made the right choice. 

“Since the group’s destruction, Carolus has wandered the Realm. It is not the first time that he has caused trouble. When the word came that there were disturbances in this area, I came to see if he was causing them.”

“How is he causing disturbances?” Presto asked.

“Carolus is trying to tap into the power of the Hall of Bones to generate a gateway that will let him return home.”

Eric frowned. “I thought Venger destroyed the Hall of Bones.”

“He destroyed the building that was the Hall of Bones,” Dungeon Master said. “It was built here because it is a place of great power, and that was not something that Venger could destroy. Like all power, however, it is dangerous. It has possessed him.”

“The power has already made him…unbalanced,” Varla said. “I called for you because we hoped that you might be the key to solving this problem for the Realm as well.”

Eric was willing to bet that wasn’t the only reason that she had called Presto. After all, Varla hadn’t dropped in on any of his dreams, had she? He liked redheads.

“We will go there in the morning,” Varla continued. “It is safer that way, and it is always better to face danger well-rested.”

*** ***

Eric watched Presto and Varla walk away, wondering how much rest they were going to get. He stayed by the fire with Sheila in a companionable silence.

“I bet you wish you hadn’t gotten on the ride,” Eric said.

She shook her head, the firelight reflecting off her hair. “No. I feel like this is…right, somehow. Like I need to be here. Maybe it’s just too much exposure to Dungeon Master,” she said with a small smile. 

“I don’t know. He was making sense there for a minute. I can’t help feeling bad for this Carolus guy, though. At least we were able to go home.”

“Maybe that’s why Dungeon Master needed us,” Sheila said after a long moment.

Eric shrugged. “Maybe. It makes as much sense as anything else in this world.”

*** ***

“Carolus!” Eric yelled the name into the wind, and heard no reply. 

They had been looking for him all morning with no success. Dungeon Master had contributed a typically cryptic remark about finding people when the time was right, then pulled his vanishing act.  
When the four of them regrouped, they found a semi-sheltered place in the rocks to eat lunch. Eric had to admit that they were at least being fed better on this trip than they had in the past.

“There has to be a better way, guys,” Sheila said as she sat down. “I get the feeling that Carolus isn’t just going to show up.”

“Maybe we should move our picnic closer to the site of the Hall?” Presto suggested. 

“It’s worth a shot,” Eric agreed, even though the idea gave him the creeps. There was just something about the place that made his skin crawl. 

*** ***

When they reached the site, it was twilight, a period of time that seemed much longer in the Realm than in the real world. 

Eric hadn’t really wanted to spend the night here, although they had come prepared. The others set up a small camp while he stood guard, and they sat down around a fire. He was halfway tempted to suggest they tell ghost stories, or complain that the Realm had no marshmallows, something just to break the tension.

Part of him worried that they might see a real ghost. He could still hear the spirit of some dead warrior-king, judging from his appearance, telling Venger that in this place their power reigned supreme. 

“Eric.” Sheila spoke his name quietly. “Come eat.”

He shook his head. “Someone needs to be on guard.”

She stood with him, looking out into the too-quiet dark. There were none of the small sounds that she associated with night time at home. It was as if they were the only living things in the Realm.

Then she saw it, and grabbed Eric’s arm. “Look!”

The approaching figure was that of a young man with unkempt brown hair and wild-looking green eyes, eyes that seemed as if they were filled with all the pain in the world. 

“Why have you come?”

“We have come to help you, Carolus.” Sheila kept her voice unthreatening, but hoped that it was carrying to Presto and Varla near the fire.

“You mean stop me,” he said wildly. “I won’t be stopped!”

“We want to help,” Eric said, and watched Carolus whirl to face him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sheila vanish under the cover of her cloak. He wasn’t sure what she had planned, but he would keep this guy distracted for as long as possible. 

“You’re taunting me! You succeeded where we failed, and now you’re here to stop me from doing anything!”

“We’re here to stop you from doing any more damage to the Realm,” Eric told him. “You can’t be allowed to hurt any more people, especially ones who have done nothing to hurt you.”

Carolus opened his mouth as if to reply, then sank to the ground with a cry. Sheila flipped her cloak aside to reappear, and tossed a big rock off to the side. “I hope I didn’t hit him too hard.”

*** ***

They set off on the march again. Even with Carolus restrained and presumably unconscious, no one wanted to stay where they were. Presto had managed to conjure up a litter, which the four of them carried between them. 

Eric had never been so glad to see a cluster of tents in his life.

Dungeon Master stood there waiting for them.

“I see you have succeeded, my young friends.” Dungeon Master eyed the still-unconscious Carolus. “Bring him into my tent, please.”

Dungeon Master watched as the four of them maneuvered Carolus into one of the large chairs. Varla knelt to untie his bound legs, although they decided to leave his hands bound.

A moment later, Carolus opened his eyes, and Eric saw his wild eyes turn to pure terror at the sight of Dungeon Master. Then, the captive hung his head and closed his eyes. “Failure again,” he whispered. “Failure again.”

“My child,” Dungeon Master said softly, “you seem to have learned nothing from your time in the Realm. You continue to make the same mistake that doomed your group to failure in the Dragon’s Graveyard. Power is not the answer.”

“It is the only answer I have found to any of your riddles,” Carolus yelled. “This is all your fault! You pulled us here, then failed us.” The young man broke down into sobs. “All I want to do is go home. Haven’t I been punished enough?”

Eric glanced at Sheila and Presto. If anyone could understand that feeling, it was them. Varla and Dungeon Master had always lived in the Realm – they were home.  
He could sympathize with the simple desire to just go home.

“Isn’t there something we can do?” Eric asked. “Can’t we just take him back with us?”

Dungeon Master shook his head. “I fear not. The only way for him to go home with you is for one member of the group to stay here, forever.”

“I’ll stay.” Presto said quickly. 

Eric and Sheila spun to face him. 

“Have you lost it?” Eric spluttered. 

Presto faced him squarely. “No, I think I found it instead.” He took Varla’s hand, squeezed it. “I don’t fit in there, and I do fit in here. Dungeon Master,” Presto said, “If I stayed in Carolus’s place, would you take me on as a student?”

Dungeon Master nodded. “If it is truly in your heart to stay, yes. Know, however, that if I send him through in your place, you must stay unless he comes back.”

Presto nodded slowly. “I understand.”

“You weren’t planning on coming back anyway, were you?” Eric studied his friend, saw how confident and sure he seemed here in the Realm, so different from when they were at home.

“I hadn’t made up my mind,” Presto said, slightly defensive. “I have now.”

Carolus stared at them, his mouth open. “You would do this for me?”

Presto shook his head. “I’m not doing it just for you.”

*** ***

“So this is goodbye,” Sheila whispered as she stood next to Eric. Carolus stood a little apart from them. 

“No, that was goodbye over there,” Eric quipped, pointing at where Presto and Varla stood next to Dungeon Master. “How are we going to explain any of this when we get home?”

Sheila shook her head. “Your guess is as good as mine.”

At least this time, they were leaving with a way to contact the Realm. Dungeon Master had presented both of them with velvet bags containing a magic charm the size of a gumball, made of some dark blue stone that shimmered mysteriously. He had explained that if they wanted to contact the Realm, they needed merely to hold the charm and speak Presto’s name. Eric planned to put his in a safe place, at least for awhile. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Dungeon Master, but he had a feeling that the charms were good for more than just being a portable telephone. 

“No one will believe this,” Eric said as Dungeon Master approached.

“Are you ready?”

“I have been ready for longer than you can imagine,” Carolus said. “I cannot thank Presto enough.”

“You can thank him by trying to learn your lesson in your world,” Dungeon Master said severely. “Goodbye, my friends.”

Sheila lifted her hand to wave at Presto and Varla, and Eric did the same.

There was a flash of light…

*** ***

“We regret the inconvenience,” said a recorded voice. “Please remain in your seats while we tame the dragon.”

Eric shook his head. “Just like last time.”

“Makes you wonder why anyone rides it,” Sheila said. She was seated next to him now, with Carolus seated in the row ahead of them.

“That’s a good question.” They sat in silence, watching Carolus to make sure he didn’t try to bolt off the ride. 

Finally, the ride started moving again, and this time Eric watched the scenery around him. He was particularly amused by one diorama that featured a pair of characters that looked an awful lot like Presto and Varla, casting a spell. 

He still couldn’t quite believe that Presto had stayed. Maybe this really was a dream, he told himself – but even as he thought the words, he didn’t believe it. The Realm was real enough.

Carolus jumped out of the car as soon as the lap bar was raised. Eric and Sheila tried to hurry after him, but by the time they made it out the exit, he was gone.

“I hope he’s okay,” Sheila said after a minute. 

“Somehow,” Eric said as they strolled towards the exit of the park, “I think he’s going to be okay. The bigger question is, how are we going to explain that Presto is gone?”

Sheila shrugged her shoulders. “Your guess is as good as mine. We’ll figure something out.”

“How about figuring something out over pizza?” Eric asked.

“I think I’d like that,” Sheila said, slipping her hand into his. 

They walked on in companionable silence.

Inside their velvet bags, the stone charms shimmered and glowed. 

They were dormant. 

For now.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked it! I had a lot of fun writing it. I always like to think that DM isn't quite done with them yet...
> 
> Episodes referenced include "The Hall of Bones", "The Dragon's Graveyard", and the story is "Requiem" compliant.


End file.
